Training Workshops

The following 14 in-person training workshops for youth program staff were offered as part of the YDC Pilot staff development training program.

Workshop 1 – Understanding Child Development as a Basis for Learning Design
led by Eileen Wasow, Associate Dean of Continuing Education, Bank Street College of Education Coverage: Social, cognitive and physical stages of development for children ages 5-13; teaching strategies suited to children's developmental stages; selection of developmentally appropriate learning instruments, instructional material, content topics and themes; use of children's books to help children understand important life issues; case study scenarios of children facing challenges to healthy development.

Workshop 2 – Introduction to Multimedia Tools for Learning, Part I: Visual Mapping and Visual Images
led by Robert Price, Consultant, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Coverage: Idea Book as a means of processing and understanding experiences; organizing thoughts through visual mapping; drawing a lion with the Monart "Drawing with Children" drawing method; drawing a portrait with KidPix; using Inspiration software to map thoughts and ideas.

Workshop 3 – Introduction to the Inquiry-Based Approach to Learning
led by Eileen Wasow, Associate Dean of Continuing Education, Bank Street College of Education Coverage: How inquiry-based learning is different from traditional teaching approaches, i.e. teaching that emphasizes the acquisition and practice of isolated skills; designing projects that focus on the investigation of specific topics and questions; teaching strategies that support inquiry-based learning.

Workshop 4 – Introduction to Multimedia Tools for Learning, Part II: Photography and HyperStudio
led by Robert Price, Consultant, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Coverage: Looking at examples of photography to generate ideas; how to introduce the digital camera to children; manipulation of images with Photoshop; saving in different formats; collaborative development of ideas through visual mapping; creating buy-in to project ideas; mapping implementation of project ideas; use of photos, words, and sound to develop multimedia messages in HyperStudio.

Workshop 5 – Creating a Group Learning Environment
led by Eileen Wasow, Associate Dean of Continuing Education, Bank Street College of Education Coverage: Establishing classroom behavior expectations and community values; cooperative learning techniques; facilitating partner and team work; setting up the physical Networked Learning Center environment to support learning experiences.

Workshop 6 – Introduction to Multimedia Tools for Learning, Part III: Continuation of Hyperstudio and Photography
led by Robert Price, Consultant, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Coverage: Idea Book; Group Book to share and build a collaborative effort; drawing objects using the skills of drawing and recognizing straight lines, curved lines, angle lines, dots, and circles; taking photographs with a specific goal; outlining and storyboarding; tools in HyperStudio; ideas for using HyperStudio; building a HyperStudio presentation stack.

Workshop 7 – Using the Internet for Inquiry-based Learning, Part I: Getting on the Web with a Purpose
led by Robert Price, Consultant, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Coverage: Where to go on the Web for content that supports inquiry-based learning; what to do when you find the content; framework for creating practical project-based curriculum that is doable while building a long term vision; use of Web browsers and search tools; use of prior knowledge for research; drawing out prior knowledge from a group with index cards and thinking maps; introducing photography.

Workshop 8 – Using the Internet for Inquiry-based Learning, Part II: Surveys, Charts and Community Mapping
led by Robert Price, Consultant, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Coverage: Creating and conducting community surveys; mapping the survey process; building Web pages with Netscape Composer; taking photos; editing photos for Web pages with Photoshop; introduction to using a group email list.

Workshop 9 – Using the Internet for Inquiry-based Learning, Part III: Visiting Your Community, Hands-On To Virtual
led by Robert Price, Consultant, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Coverage: Use of mapping and interviews to develop an understanding of the community; interview questioning methods; list-group-label technique for organizing information; taking photos; editing photos with Photoshop; building Web pages with Composer.

Workshop 10 – Step-By-Step Guide to Inquiry Learning
led by Cornelia Brunner of Center for Children and Technology Coverage: Explanation of the theory behind inquiry learning; how inquiry learning links with teaching basic skills; question and answer about inquiry learning; example of a classroom inquiry topic; diagram of components of the inquiry process in a project; templates for guiding children through forming and mapping an inquiry; visual literacy exercises with photographs.
Workshop 11 – Animation and Video Part I: Early Motion Devices and Storyboarding
led by Robert Price, Consultant, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Coverage: How to use and make panel books; questioning techniques for analyzing a story; sequencing with storyboards; techniques for making flip books; techniques for making thaumatropes, phenakistascopes and zoetropes.  
Workshop 12 – Animation and Video Part II: Slide Shows and Problem-Solution Videos
led by Robert Price, Consultant, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Coverage: Sequencing with KidPix Slide Show; idea development through storyboarding; examples of commercial and child-produced short videos; production of 30-second problem-solution videos with digital video cameras.
Workshop 13 – Reading and Writing Strategies
led by Robert Price, Consultant, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Coverage: Pattern writing; imitation writing; use of pocket charts for sentence construction; use of hidden context clues in group read alouds; visual mapping to construct sentences; visual mapping to analyze poems; sequence writing; list of the 100 words most frequently using in reading and writing.
Workshop 14 – The Focused Field Trip
led by Robert Price, Consultant, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education Coverage: Pre-field trip planning areas; visual mapping to plan; saturation writing; using pocket charts for pattern writing; books and resource materials on field trip topics; creating a Web page with Composer for a pre-field trip lesson; forming questions about common objects; researching field trip-related topics on the Web; making a flash newsletter.